A Message from Your Season Host
LOOKING BACK
When I look back at the Summer 2026 Nightly Fish Round Up Rodeo, the first thing I remember isn’t a number. It’s the anglers.
It’s everyone who showed up after a long day, loaded into the same waterbody, and gave the competition everything they had. It’s the laughs, the close calls, the last-minute catches, and the nights when one fish changed the entire leaderboard. As the host, I had the best seat in the house. I watched new anglers find their confidence. I watched regular competitors get better every week. I watched people celebrate each other even while fighting for the same podium. That is what made this season special.
Our Summer 2026 champions
When the final points were counted, XLSmack stood at the top with 1,025 points. SurprisingxD finished second with 875, and Draetoc earned third with 750.
XLSmack put together a championship season and crossed the 1,000-point mark. SurprisingxD stayed in the fight and finished only 150 points behind the champion. Draetoc earned a place on the season podium after battling through the same changing maps, species, and pressure as everybody else. That podium was earned one tournament at a time.
What those points really represent
Our scoring is simple: 100 points for first place, 50 for second, and 25 for third.
But those numbers don’t show the whole story. They don’t show the fish that arrived with only minutes left on the clock. They don’t show the angler who refused to quit after a slow start. They don’t show the nights when somebody missed the podium, came back the following week, and finally broke through. That is why showing up matters. You may not win every tournament. You may have nights when the fish simply refuse to cooperate. But every event gives you another chance to learn, improve, and put points on the board.
To every angler who competed
The final podium deserves to be celebrated, but this season was bigger than three names. Every angler who joined us helped make the Rodeo worth hosting. You created the competition that pushed our leaders. You filled the standings, shared the excitement, and gave us stories to talk about after the timer reached zero. Some of you earned wins. Some reached the podium for the first time. Some are still chasing that first season point.
Wherever you finished, you were part of this season. As a host, that means more to me than I can properly put into words. I can run the timer, update the leaderboard, and announce the winners. The anglers are the ones who give the Rodeo its heart.